Five studies were conducted to characterize the effects on NaCl intake of the interaction between adrenalectomy (ADX) and dietary calcium. Intact rats fed low-calcium diets (0 or 25 mmol Ca2+/kg diet) approximately quadrupled intake of 300 or 500 mM NaCl solution relative to intact rats fed diets with moderate or high calcium content (125, 150, or 500 mmol Ca2+/kg diet) ADX approximately doubled NaCl intake of rats fed moderate or high-calcium diets but decreased NaCl intake of rats fed low-calcium diets to levels similar to those of ADX rats fed moderate of high-calcium diets. Aldosterone replacement (2.4 micrograms/day sc) reduced NaCl intake of ADX rats fed control diets to below levels of intact controls, but the same treatment to ADX rats fed low-calcium diet had no effect on NaCl intake. The reduction in NaCl intake produced by ADX in rats fed low-calcium diet could not be attributed to general debilitation, damage to the adrenal medulla, or altered metabolism of sodium or calcium (i.e., plasma concentration, bone content, or balance). It is proposed that an adrenocortical hormone other than aldosterone mediates the high salt intake of the calcium-deprived rat, and thus the adrenal has both inhibitory and excitatory actions on NaCl intake.